Reviews by mikeyv35:

Pours a golden straw in color to a very light mahogany brown w/ a 11/2 finger off white head and heavy lacing. Aromas of mineral, biscuit, light citrus, and mild caramel/toffee. The flavor was big mineral almost saltiness up front, leading into biscuit and caramel/toffee. Medium bodied and lush. Grows on you as you sip.

Overall, this was one of the more interesting brews I have encountered as of late. The brew almost reminds me of an Imperial Gose (if there is such a thing) w/ the saltiness up front. I can see how the demand is not very high for this brew, but it grew on me as I drank it. Simply seems mislabeled as an Old Ale.

More User Reviews:

An initially surprisingly light, golden color with a large white head that doesn't last for long and eventually leaves spots of lace down the glass. Unexciting, though appropriate enough.

Toasted biscuit and simple grain constitute the majority of the aroma, along with some alcohol warmth, very mild citrus, and grass. This is lacking the typical sweet, bready, caramel, and toffee notes I found in anything labeled an old ale.

Lots of biscuit and simple grain, with very mild earthy hops, very mild citrus, and some alcohol. Simple and straightforward. This lacks complexity and depth, and I don't think age would have done anything for this. This tastes like an imperial pilsner brewed with ale yeast.

A: Pours with a light tan, compact foamy cap with fair retention, then fading into a long lasting, thick bubbly sea of film - about a finger and a half high. Highly active carbonation keeps the thick film afloat. Rusty orange in color, the body is semi-clear but foggy. Lacing is spare (albeit more than expected for the ABV) and takes the form of random dots and wavy strings. The light color of the brew seems uncharacteristic, but BJCP says light amber is within range - just seldom seen. All other things considered, this brew is very good looking.

S: Surprisingly bad. Awww man. Just a phenolic and estery mess. A mild bedding of bready grain plus light fruity esters are uncovered during deeper inhales. But all of this is overshadowed by aromas of drying plastic, freshly burnt rubber and out of place minerals.

T: Thankfully the flavor leaves a lot of the undesirables left behind...although it is still is far-from the prototypical Old Ale. If there was such a thing as an American Strong Pale Ale, this would be it. Sweet, yeasty, bready grain comes through more than the nose suggested. And a more-than-prevalent ABV rears it head as well.

M: Lively with some much needed effervescence to help hide the ABV and clear the tongue from the residual sweetness and unwanted flavors. ABV is still noticeable on the palate but it works with the aggressive nature of the beer.

O: A rare miss by Southampton...and painful for me to review as such. I don't see this one improving either so, if you find yourself with a bottle, find a couple friends - hell, enemies even - and crack it open now.

I've read the description on this one, and I just don't know...and old ale? I'm just not getting it. Poured an uncommonly pale golden-yellow color, slightly hazy, with a decent cap of off-white head; moderate retention and decent lacing. Biscuity aroma, toasted cereal grains, notes of citrus zest and pith; pretty light. Taste was decent, but not overly impressive, and certainly not like any old ale I've had before. Like the aroma, biscuity and grainy, with some honey and sugar sweetness, pale malts, vague citrusy pith, and an almost ESB-ish mildness in the hoppage. Picked up some definite acetaldehyde too... Hmm. Light-medium body, and pretty easily drinkable, even if nothing really special.

Pours a hazy amber color with an off-white head. Quite a sweet nose to this, very heavy on the brown sugar and caramel aromas. A light citrus characteristic along with some yeast and bubblegum? Strange. The flavor is very sweet as well. Sugar, brown sugar, and caramel along with a bit of toasted bread. A hint of the same yeast and bubblegum combination with a touch of spice. Really not sure what is going on here.

t/m/o - about fifteen flavors crush through my palate at once...flowers, biscuits, toffee, Belgian sugar, toasted alcohol with a bitter dry finish. A bit fizzy. Medium bodied with a bitterness to it. Grew on me as I drank it but fairly sweet in general and more of a Belgian than an old ale. I think that this beer is in a better place than it was at the release but it is not worth chasing down.

From the label: "Southampton 15th Anniversary Ale is an amalgamation of brewing techniques and ingredients from Britain, Germany, Scotland, the United States, Belgium and France. We call it a blonde Old Ale made with Golden Promise, French, German and North American malt, Belgian candy sugar and 3 German hops. Cheers to innovation! 9.5% ABV."

750ml corked and caged bottle poured into a matching Southamtpon fishbowl. The brew appears a polished color of copper to light amber with more than a finger of yellowish stained, light tan froth. A light swirl effortlessly revives a finger of cap back to the surface and paints some finger-like patterns of lacework all over the glass. When held to the light, there is some very faint particulate stuck in suspension that keeps this brew from being perfectly clear.

The smell of this brew initially has some mineral and yeasty components that swirl out and dissolve leaving room for more desirable characteristics. Toasted, biscuit-like grain is present overtop of a mild fruity accent somewhat similar to rindy and herbal orange zest. Citrus and fruity hops mingle with alcohol esters that strike the nose with some tingly warmth.

The taste has a bit of sulfur mixed with mineral and a yeasty aspect that blends into a toasted grain base like buttered biscuits. Some herbal and fruity hops are present along with a moderate amount of fusel alcohol that is quite warming down the back of the throat. Mid palate there are some zesty and pulp fruit aspects somewhat like orange mixed with minerals.

This is a medium to full bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. At this stage in the game, it is a little awkward and really reminds me of what old herb was like last year. The strange upfront character of yeast, minerals and herbal components with bold alcohol doesn't help the drinkability much. It isn't a bad brew but also it isn't something I would get terribly excited about in comparison to the other offerings by Southampton.